Titan
| alignment = Usually lawful neutralShadows & Light, pg 108 }} The Titans are a race of extremely powerful, majestic creatures, akin to gods. These metallic giants traveled across the cosmos bringing order to worlds. History and culture A generally aloof creator race, the titans are now a subject of significant interest on Azeroth, at least for the dwarves — especially the Explorer's Guild. Their part in Azeroth’s history lies far, far back in time, although Sargeras has, of course, taken a more active role in recent conflicts through the Burning Legion. There are two known races of titans (Aesir and Vanir). The Pantheon are the leaders of the titans and some of the universe’s most powerful entities. Their figure is humanoid but gigantic, with gleaming metallic skin and a perfection of form that makes the heart ache. Very little is known about the titans save for scraps the dwarves have unearthed and some vague night elf folklore. Few scholars actually believe the mighty demigods even existed. Legend holds that the great ones shaped the land when the world was young, then left the world to its own devices. The ruins and buried cities that remain on Azeroth — Uldum beneath the Tanaris Desert, Ulduar beneath The Storm Peaks of Northrend, and Uldaman beneath the dwarven home of Khaz Modan — are known to a few to actually be "titanic" ruins. Most mortals believe that they are only ancient ruins. There are two presumed types of titan, the stronger, smarter, more agile Aesir, and the tougher but less powerful Vanir. One scholar has postulated that there are other subspecies of titans. No titans have ever been spotted, and it is believed that they live among the stars where they continue to this day shaping new worlds. Each titan cultivates specific interests that relate to particular elements or energy types — essentially, to some small aspect of creation over which the titan holds a measure of dominance. Some titans refer to the piece of creation upon which they focus as their "sphere of power". Titans generally believe they are invincible. They wade into the thickest of battles using their most powerful abilities, or even just swinging with massive, alloyed fists. Titans with well-defined spheres of power have wildly varying combat tactics, focusing primarily upon the strengths of their spheres. Types *Aesir (platinum) *Vanir (bronze) :Note:The titan models have skins for gold, stone, and ivory titans as well. These may represent additional titan subspecies. Known titans Most of the known titans come from the elite, ruling sect known as the Pantheon. Little is known of the names or details of the titans, beyond these few: Pantheon * Aman'Thul * Eonar * Norgannon * Khaz'goroth * Aggramar * Golganneth * Sargeras (formerly) **Avatar of Sargeras (presumed) Others Note: The characters below use the "titan" models or implied to be titans. *Aman (presumed; male "titan" model,) *Freya (presumed; formerly in Temple of Life, current location unknown) **Avatar of Freya (presumed) *Hodir (presumed; formerly in Temple of Winter, current location unknown) *Jotun (presumed; male "titan" model) *Loken (presumed; male "titan" model, speculated to be the Titan of Temple of Wisdom) *Mimir (presumed; formerly in Temple of Invention, current location unknown) *Thorim (presumed; in Temple of Storms, brother of Loken) *Tyr (presumed; formerly in Temple of Order, current location unknown. It is worth noting that Tyr's temple alone shows no sign of damage or conflict, as such Tyr may have willingly defected or fallen under the sway of the Old God) *Ironaya (presumed; female "titan" model) *Maiden of Virtue (presumed; female "titan" model) *Myzrael (presumed; female "titan" model) *Maiden of Grief (presumed; female "titan" model) Unknown *"The Grand Architect" who, according to Gearmaster Mechazod, created the first gnomes, the mechagnomes. This could be a reference to Khaz'Goroth who is believed to be the titan behind dwarves, humans, and gnomes. Khaz'Goroth was the architect and shaper of the lands of Azeroth. It might also refer to Mimir, a possible titan who's library contains mechagnomes. *Greatfather Winter (The Feast of Winter Veil) Trivia * Titans brought the concept of Runic Magic into the world. * They are called "Travelers" in the Troll Legends. * According to some statues scattered around Uldaman, the original five races of the world were trolls, earthen, tauren, mountain giants, and sea giants. The giants and the earthen were direct creations of the titans, to aid them in shaping Azeroth. The trolls and tauren, it would seem, were the first races to evolve, possibly with influence from the Well of Eternity as there is no other information as to where they may have come from. The dragons predate the trolls and the tauren, but it is not clear whether they predate the titans' arrival. However, certain passages from War of the Ancients refers to them as (in the Old Gods' minds) the "Titan's hounds". This implies that the dragons were created by the titans to help safeguard Azeroth. Furbolgs also have legends of seeing the coming of the titans to the world from their homeland in Northrend, implying they predate the titans as well. Murlocs have also been implied to predate titans. * According to some sources, such as the Warcraft Encyclopedia, it is said that the titans are not actually gods, though they are more powerful than a number of gods encountered in Azeroth.http://www.worldofwarcraft.com/info/encyclopedia/417.xml Other sources such as The Sunwell Trilogy claim that they are "gods from the far reaches of the cosmos". Alliance Player's Guide says that they are akin to gods. Shadows & Light states that they are demigods. * Some accounts of the titans give them titles such as "Patron of All Life". * Two in-game models are called "titans" in the files. Myth * The original Titans are giants or proto-gods from who inhabited the world during the First Era, and later ruled it during the Second Era. Their leader was Kronos. Notable titans include Rhea, Atlas, and Prometheus. Unlike their Warcraft counterparts, most of them were inherently malevolent. They were defeated by Zeus and the Olympians at the start of the Third Era. * The Aesir come from . They are the rulers of Asgard and the more altruistic force in the universe, the greatest of them being Odin and Thor. The Vanir come from Vanaheim and are split — most support the Aesir, some the Giants. Freyr and Freyja are well-known Vanir. In an interesting contrast from Blizzard's direction, which places the dwarves close to the Titans, the Vanir of Norse myth had stronger ties to the elves. References Category:Creatures Category:Eternals Category:Game terms Category:Lore Category:Outsiders Category:Titans Category:Giants Category:Wrath of the Lich King